Presented in collaboration with the Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation (JNAF) and the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Vastu Sangrahalaya (CSMVS), Mumbai, Resonant Histories: India and the Arab World opened at the Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation, CSMVS, and remains on view until 15 February 2026. Curated by Puja Vaish and Suheyla Takesh, the exhibition invites renewed attention to interconnected histories that continue to shape cultural life today.
The exhibition foregrounds the shared aspirations, intellectual exchanges, and creative synergies that shaped modern art across India and the Arab world throughout the twentieth century. Bringing together seminal works from the Barjeel Art Foundation and the Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation, the exhibition stages these collections in dialogue to illuminate cross-cultural encounters that continue to resonate within contemporary artistic and intellectual discourse.
Resonant Histories traces the vibrant artistic and cultural dialogues that emerged through mobility, education, and political alignment. It brings together pioneering Arab artists who lived, trained, or exhibited in Indian cities such as Mumbai, New Delhi, and Santiniketan, as well as those who participated in events such as the India Triennale or engaged with Indian instructors and institutions. These encounters reveal layered intersections of identity, colonial history, Non-Aligned Movement politics, and evolving ideas of modernity.
The exhibition features works by artists from across Palestine, Lebanon, Egypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Syria, Tunisia, the United Arab Emirates, and India, presenting a constellation of practices and perspectives that reflect shared concerns and parallel trajectories. Together, these works underscore how artistic exchange operated as a site of solidarity, experimentation, and mutual influence across regions.
Beyond the exhibition, Resonant Histories aims to serve as a platform for further scholarship on modern art histories in India and the Arab world. An illustrated catalogue, to be released in early 2026, will extend the exhibition’s research and provide a lasting resource for researchers, students, and wider audiences.
Location: Jehangir Nicholson Art Foundation, CSMVS, Mumbai
Date: 14 November 2025 until 15 February 2026